


The Little Red Hooded Hunter

by paradoxicallysimplistic



Series: OTP (smutty) Fairytales and other works... [7]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Bottom Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Enemies to Lovers, EreRi Big Bang 2017, Hunter Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), M/M, Smut, Top Eren Yeager, ebb2k17, shifter Eren Yeager
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 16:38:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13505517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paradoxicallysimplistic/pseuds/paradoxicallysimplistic
Summary: Easily identified by his blood-stained, crimson cloak and renowned as 'Humanity's Strongest Hunter' in the known lands, hunting the mystical creatures that prey on human flesh is both Levi's job and calling. Ogres, sirens, trolls, and more have fallen under his blade.When some hunting parties began vanishing, never to be found, he takes on the job to investigate, and if possible, slay the creature(s) living in Shiganshina forest. Venturing into the heart of the forest, Levi comes to learn that he isn't quite as alone as he thoughtand there are secrets in the woods that will change his life forever...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Here's submission 1 of 2 for Ereri Big Bang. Many thanks to the organizers, but most importantly to [jeagerscaptain](http://jeagerscaptain.tumblr.com/) for their amazing artwork. You're amazing!!!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciate! Thank you for reading!

_Once upon a time, in a faraway land where the sun rose in the west and fell in the east, was a lush and fertile land. The land was covered in dense forests and large rolling plains, bisected by mountains whose tops reached the heavens, and surrounded by blue waters as far as the eye could see. Both human and non-human alike inhabited this strange land. Many mythical creatures roamed the prairies, dwelling in the caves and oceans, claiming the lands as their own. They moved across the lands freely, acting as nature had willed them, devouring their prey without remorse and hiding their true natures._

_But over time, human beings began to invent new technologies and with innovation came the expansion of cities and development of advanced weaponry. Hunting parties were sent out to exterminate anything in their path. Soldiers and guards were sent to defend and slay dangerous beasts. Raids were carried out on peaceful, harmless creatures whose only desire was to survive._

_And so the creatures began hiding away. Some secreted themselves to the mountainside caves or crevices, never to be seen, but for the adventurous few that ventured deep into the mountains. Others hid underwater in the depths of the ocean, coming out to lure their prey with song and dance. Many of those that could not swim or fly hid themselves in the woods, sometimes burrowing underground. And the smartest of the bunch began taking human form to blend in._

_Not all were successful. It was impossible to completely quell their beastly nature. The call of the wilds drove them to consume human flesh. The burgeoning hunger to tear flesh from bone. The aching need to run wild across windy moors. The burning desire to roar when the moon was full._

_To protect themselves, humanity began arming themselves better, slaying everything that appeared in their path. Rewards were given to those who could successfully kill the creatures threatening humanity. Stories circulated about the status and wealth of a successful hunt. Lured by promises of fame and fortune, many signed up as hunters and formed hunting groups, blatantly unaware and naïve about the true nature of the beasts they hunted._

_Those who sought fame and glory quickly realized the difficulties of doing so. The creatures they hunted grew more dangerous over time, able to see in darkness and often moving in packs. They grew smarter over time, wary of humans, and ever-vigilant for the next easy meal. Many hunts ended in failure. The survival rate was very low, and some went weeks without completing a successful mission. Bloodshed, missing limbs, and the distinct possibility of death were frequent outcomes of venturing into the unknown._

_Among them, though, there was a particular hunter who was becoming fairly well-known. No one was sure where he came from, but none doubted his prowess at slaying the creatures. Hailed as the strongest hunter, many recognized him through his signature red cloak, stained with the blood of the lives he took, and ‘less-than-normal’ height. No one dared call him short lest they find themselves without a limb or one’s crown jewels. He was the best of the best and called in to hunt the creatures others couldn’t manage._

 

The moment he entered the forest, Levi felt eyes on him, observing his every move. Whoever or whatever it was waiting for him to weaken his defenses. But the hunter knew better. He was the best in all the lands, which was why he was getting paid a hefty reward for figuring what was responsible for people vanishing. Technically it wasn’t for an extermination, but rather a ‘search and then kill if dangerous’ mission. What made it dangerous was the fact that several hunting parties who entered and stayed in the woods for more than half a day never returned. Those who had returned found nothing amiss and could provide no hints as to the creatures lurking in the shadows. No one had any idea what inhabited the dense thicket, and being some creature’s dinner definitely was not on Levi’s agenda today.

His plan was simple. It always was. Get in, figure out what was killing the people, slay it if necessary, and claim his reward. The difficulty was figuring what he was up against.

Like previous hunts, the villagers around Shiganshina forest weren’t much assistance. They were the superstitious sort, making up stories and making contradictory claims of the wild beasts which resided in the dense trees. Levi wouldn’t have given much credence on their shitty beliefs anyways. The hunter had learned early on that it was better to experience it for oneself than to rely on the word of others.

Most of the times it didn’t take much, but sometimes it took a week or longer before it showed itself. It wasn’t difficult as he was a light sleeper; had always required less sleep than the average person. A mix of insomnia and being built that way, he could last a fortnight without sleep while on stakeout. It wasn’t highly enjoyable, but sacrificing sleep was necessary. Once he figured what it was, it was an easy matter to stalk it to its lair and slay it. Sometimes there was some planning and pretense or lengthy battle involved, but once he got within striking distance, often all he needed was to lop off its head. There were other ways to kill them, but beheading was the easiest and required the least amount of work. Plus, Levi had yet to meet a creature who wasn’t impervious to his blades.

Lightweight and designed specifically for him, his blades were forged from the strongest metals known to man – meteoric iron – coated with a thin layer of pure silver at the edges. It would cut through anything cleanly and the silver edges allowed him to deal with those pesky things immune to most other weapons. Along with the harness and grappling hooks attached to his hips, they were the tools of his trade. Levi often kept a bow on his horse, but rarely used it as they were wieldy and often unable to pierce through the thick hides and skin of the creatures he hunted.

Tucking the cloak around him more securely, he ventured deeper into the woods. Red wasn’t Levi’s color of choice, but it was the best for hiding blood stains. Earthy hues would have suited him better and been easier to blend into the dense forest. And black was good for skulking in the dark. He had tried other colors and fabrics before, but after so many successful hunts, the blood would inevitably stain and turn it to dark crimson. At least it was _dark_ red. The scarlet cloak was now his trademark and how other’s recognized him as the land’s best hunter.

While a cloak wasn’t the most practical garment when hunting, it kept him warm, particularly at night when the fires were out. Aside from a little food – he could forage and hunt for sustenance in the woods – all he brought was a small bar of soap, flint, oil for his blade, rope, medical supplies, a small blade, and a whetstone with him. Carrying too many knapsacks and unnecessary supplies only slowed him down.

Levi wasn’t naïve enough to think he was impervious to injury. Although he had never gotten sick and healed faster than most, he had been wounded before – most recently from a monstrous giant which had been intent on trampling on him. But he was stronger and faster than other hunters. Some said his reflexes and senses were abnormal, and the particular shade of his eyes – slate grey with a tinge of unearthly blue – were a sign that he wasn’t quite human. He really didn’t give a shit what they said, but such talk persisted.

For all Levi cared, hunting was simply a means to an end. He needed the money and they needed his services. It was an arrangement of mutual benefit.

He wasn’t sure what was in the woods, but he wasn’t going in blind either. Levi had slain many other mythical creatures before. Trolls with grotesque lumpy flesh that made his skin crawl. Ogres with breath so bad it would knock a man on his feet within ten feet. Harpies with their razor sharp talons and beaks. Lamias, vicious blood sucking creatures who seduced men into their lairs without a second’s thought – though in that particular case, he was gay and didn’t care much for their feminine allures. Basilisks with their venomous blood, so acidic and potent that the tiniest drop could eat through flesh and bone.

It made him wonder what he was up against this time. Either way, as long as things went according to plan, it wouldn’t stand a chance.

Observant eyes surveyed the dimly lit forest floor strewn with leaves and twigs, using the streams of sunlight to guide his way. Ears tuned outwards, focusing on the smallest sounds in the forest. It was why he was such a masterful hunter. Everything, including the lightest brush of wind against his face to the faint smell of upturned dirt, was factored in. Hunting always came easy for him; easier than many other tasks at least. Levi felt more at home in the wilderness than in a city. Even darkness wasn’t a problem as Levi never had problems hunting in the scarcest of light.

Making his way deeper into the forest, the dark-haired hunter could feel some _thing_ watching his every move. Good. It made his job that much easier knowing he was in the right part of the woods. He hated scouring for unknown enemies. Systematically searching for signs of his target was the most tedious and stressful part of it. While it gave him more time to gain a feel for the land, it could sometimes take _days_. And if he missed something, it could easily result in trouble later on.

But now, all Levi had to do was figure out what the fuck it was and kill it.

Normally he would be the one tracking and hunting, but now that it was already watching there were three options available.

First, he could pretend not to notice it watching and gather clues while waiting for it to attack him. Feigning sleep and ignorance without knowing his enemy was risky. Whatever it was watching him might not even buy his sleeping routine. Besides, it was still light outside, and the chance of danger rose exponentially once the sun fell. He might have better night vision and hearing than most humans, but it couldn’t compare to truly nocturnal beings.

The second alternative was to confront it. He could always call our and have it attack him. There were some creatures which were particularly susceptible to taunts and best dealt with in a frontal confrontation. Without knowing what it was though, his plan could backfire. Particularly in the woods when trees provided the perfect cover and opportunity for things to ambush him from above. Alternatively, it could attract more than one creature or possibly scare his prey away.

Third, he could track it as he originally intended before going out on the attack. It would be a little more difficult but doable.

Finding a small clearing with a stream, Levi decided to make camp for the afternoon. There was no point in pushing further when he had already caught its attention. The clean water for a bath and drinking were bonuses on top of it.

 

* * *

 

Eren sensed something was different the moment the red cloaked stranger came into their forest. His nose twitched with… _anticipation_ as the person marched unafraid into the dense woods. Still, it was impossible to disguise the scent of iron which lingered around the intruder, a testimony to the lives he had taken.

He and Jean were the ones responsible for patrolling the outermost edges of their territory this week. Extensive patrolling a relatively new practice since. Marco had returned with news of a bounty on the head of the ‘creature’ living in the forest when he returned from the supply run last season. Since then, there had been a few hunting parties in the woods every week or two, some which were dealt with and others which left after fruitless searching. But this was Eren’s first time seeing a hunter venture in alone. Most never got close enough to be a threat, but it made everyone on edge. Protocol was to trail any strangers, capture them, and report back as soon as possible. One or two hunters posed little threat, but it was still better to be careful. Eren knew better than to rush out without preparation. No one wanted a reoccurrence of the massacre that happened before.

Humans generally stayed away given the eeriness of the woods and rumors propagating around them, but a decade ago a hunting party had somehow found their way into camp and massacred many of his friends and family. His parents were included among the victims. Since then they had relocated further into the heart of the forest and hid themselves away, constantly on the lookout.

Everything had been peacefully quiet even when the added hunting parties. Protected by the forest spirits and the goddess Ymir herself, the hunting parties and few curious humans who had entered the forest were rarely able to venture so deeply into the woods. But the hunter Eren had been tracking for the last hour or two didn’t appear to be lost. This was the first time the shifter had seen a non-shifter wander around the goddess’s forest as though they were lost. The man seemed guided by some strange instinct as he continued to walk _into_ the dense trees instead of going round and round in circles.

The hunter in front of him didn’t seem quite as human as those before him either. The footsteps he left on the ground were much too soft to be left by a lumbering two-legged man. And there was his smell. Eren’s wolf could easily track the stench left by a human with ease, but there was something about the stranger that didn’t rile his instinct. He hadn’t yet caught sight of what the hunter looked like, but his wolf was strangely calm and almost _happy_ to see the man. It wasn’t the same as when he was around his kin, but was similar enough to leave him puzzled.

Eren grew even more confused when his prey came upon the small stream. The small handful of humans who had wandered so deep into the forest had gotten lost without the help of one of the forest’s own. There were silly stories that Shiganshina was cursed, or as shifters called it, blessed by the goddess. Whoever the intruder was, he had to have Ymir’s blessing to wander so deep and find the stream. It was one of the few sources of freshwater in the woods, branching from the main river which came from an underground spring deep in the mountains. Eren had never heard of a human who had the Goddess’s blessing before.

Knowledge of shifters and Ymir was rare. They purposely kept it that way. The fewer people who know of them, the safer they were. Long ago, their ancestors had done the goddess a great favor by protecting her creatures and were in turn blessed with the strength and prowess of those they had saved. But their neighbors began treating them strangely and eventually attacking them as a result of the blessing. Envious of their prolonged lifespan and fearful of their strange abilities, they turned against them. Many were killed and they fled to survive the negative environment. They had resided away from humans ever since.

A handful of shifters were sent out to blend with humans for trading and to make sure there were no threats to their villages, but their network was not infallible. The hunting raid which resulted in the death of his parents and many others only served to remind them to be ever-vigilant of strangers. Only a small handful, numbering no more than a few dozen strong, had survived. It was difficult recovering, but there slowly making do. Birthrates were low as females could only conceive in the spring for a short period of time, but despite the many difficulties, their numbers were increasing once again.

Outside of Shiganshina woods, there other shifter settlements scattered in the land, but they rarely communicated with one another. The closest one that Eren knew of was at least a week’s journey away on the other side of the prairies, closer to the mountains. Shifters from other parts of the world occasionally visited, but those were few and far in between.

While they had longer lifespans and could shift into animals, shifters weren’t much different from humans. Being descended from humans, they retained their native form. The only visible difference was the change in their eye color when emotional. Physically, though, they were faster, stronger, had better night vision and hearing, than their human counterparts. Their day to day lives were also shaped from stories passed down through the generations, based upon what life had been like hundreds of years ago. No, aside from longevity, the biggest difference was their animal half. From childhood, shifters were able to shift into their animal counterparts during bouts of extreme emotion, but it took years of training and practice to master shifting and stay in their animal forms for extended durations. After a few decades, Eren was still only able to shift a maximum of twice a day and stay as a wolf for no more than two hours without collapsing from fatigue.

It was because of his youth – the oldest shifter had purportedly lived for five centuries – that he had not yet been allowed to leave the woods. Though there was no hard rule against going to the outside world, very few of their kind did. Many preferred to stay amongst their kind and away from the smoke and iron of humans. Eren was still young compared to most in his community. He was only two score years and still had a few more years before he would be allowed to venture out. Only those who had experienced more than a half century of life and could properly control their animal halves were allowed to. His childhood dream was to explore the vast lands outside the woods, and he couldn’t wait until he was of age.

Silently following his target, Eren unfortunately neglected to check the ground in front of him. There was an audible crack as the branch snapped, giving away his position. Heart thumping nervously, he slowly righted himself. Jean would only make fun of him making such an elementary screw up. Perhaps the hunter would think it was a deer or something and continue on his merry way.

Lady fate, unfortunately, was not shining upon him. When he looked back up at the stranger, twin orbs of silver bored straight at him. Eren was sure he was camouflaged in the dense thicket, but the expression in the hunter’s eyes – lethal and dangerous – suggested otherwise.

“There’s no point in hiding.” The red-cloaked man’s baritone sent a tremor down the shifter’s spine. Eren had never interacted with humans, let alone a hunter, before, but there was a raw magnetism emanating from the man. The dark-haired man’s voice was deceptively casual, almost playful, but it was flavored with violence and death. While he could take on most humans with ease – shifters were fast and stronger than their human counterparts – the stench of blood told Eren that the red-cloaked hunter wasn’t a mere mortal to be trifled with.

But he had more than one card to play. Eren would hedge his bets on the fact that as long as his animal side didn’t show, he could pass as a human being. He certainly looked the part and was thankful that he had kept his clothes and chosen not to shift into a wolf.

“Fine, just don’t kill me. I’m coming out now.” Making sure he was presentable, he slowly stepped out from behind the trees and bushes.


	2. Chapter 2

“Fine, just don’t kill me. I’m coming out now.”

“So you finally decided to show yourself…” Levi hid his surprise at seeing a brown-haired, green-eyed _youth_ step out of the woods. The kid couldn’t be more than fifteen. Eyeing his stalker, Levi wondered what kind of kid would wander the forest shoeless in only a shirt and pants. What the fuck was someone like that doing here? Didn’t he know about the dangers lurking in the forest? “… _kid_.”

Wide emerald orbs blew wide at his words. The brat was doing a poor job of concealing his emotions. The brunet’s mouth opened and closed silently as if trying to figure out what to say.

Unwilling to let his stalker run away, Levi rounded on the strange youth in seconds quickly. There was a small groan as he pushed the brat onto the ground, straddling him to prevent him from escaping. Had he been taller, he would have opted to trap his enemy against a tree, but Levi had learned that incapacitating his target on the ground was just as effective.

“So fuckface, what were you doing, following me?” Pushing his blade flush against the brunet’s neck, he stared hard at his stalker. Levi couldn’t help but notice how large those green eyes were, the plumpness of those lips, or the rapid rise and fall of the lithe body underneath him. Had it been any other situation, he would have loved to press his lips against the brunet’s, slip his tongue between those soft pink petals, and see whether they tasted as delicious as they looked.

“I-I…” A nervous tongue peeked out to wet those rosy lips, and Levi’s eyes automatically tracked the movement. “What are you doing here?”

“I asked you a question first, _brat_.” He had to give the kid credit for not being scared shitless and speaking up with a question of his own. The brunet had a strange accent, but Levi couldn’t be bothered with trying to figure which parts the kid was from.

“I’m not a brat!” Eren bristled at being called such a demeaning name. While he was young by shifter standards, he was almost fifty in human years. The hunter was the ‘kid’ between them. There was certainly no way the dark-haired man was over thirty.

The only response was a darkly raised eyebrow. Eren felt a trickle of apprehension as the blade was pressed closer against his neck. “I asked you a question.”

It was difficult to gather his wits around him with Levi straddling him. It was trivial to toss the hunter off him – a human would never win in strength or speed against him – but it was difficult to summon the will to do so. Instead, Eren couldn’t help admire the sharp contours of his captor’s face or the muscled thighs clamping around his torso. Even with his enhanced senses, while he could tell the hunter was toned, it didn’t do justice to the man’s beauty.

“Refusing to speak now?” There was a dangerous lilt to the man’s tone.

Eren gulped, looking at those steely eyes which refused to budge an inch. Lying underneath the hunter was definitely a poor choice of location to be in at the moment. Their physical forms might have been blessed by Ymir, but their human weaknesses had remained.

If the man was as good a hunter as he seemed, and Eren would bet he was, there was no doubt he was in the woods to slay something. Eren wasn’t aware of any other ‘creatures’ as the humans crudely put it, aside from him and the rest of the shifters. And there was no way he was going to reveal his true identity to his enemy.

“Uhhh… I…”

Levi barely had time to react to the faint _whoosh_ of something soaring through air before a net descended right against where he had been.

“What the fuck?!”

He managed to jump out of the net’s way, but the kid lying on the ground wasn’t so fortunate and got tangled up in the mass of ropes and knots. Before the hunter could do anything, let alone figure out who had just attacked them, the underbrush rustled and parted to reveal a familiar face. One he had never expected to see here. If Traute Carven was here, that could only mean the rest of the fucking Brigade weren’t far behind.

It wasn’t unheard of for hunters to work in teams – it was actually quite common – but the Brigade was the worst of the bunch. Comprised of nearly a dozen members, they were a bunch of thugs turned hunters, threatening those weaker than them. It had never happened to him before, but Levi had heard rumors of them stalking other hunters and stealing their kills. He had encountered them before on a previous assignment – he had killed the banshee before they had even arrived – but there wasn’t much of a confrontation as there was a brief exchange of words.

This time was different. Levi hadn’t killed, let alone identified the creature yet. And the fact the Brigade was willing to toss a net on him did not bode well.

“Why are you here, Carven?” Levi slid his hands over the handles of his blade, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

“The same reason as you, Ackerman.”

“Then why the fuck did you try to toss the net on me as well?”

“Blame one of the guys Nile hired. My job was to track you and I did.” She smiled unapologetically. “Had to say, though, after hearing the rumors of how good you were, it was a letdown how easy it was to track you.”

Levi scowled at the tracker’s claim. It wasn’t the first time other hunters had tried to take advantage of his skills and followed him, but this was the first time had been caught unaware. All other times, he had been aware of the tagalongs. It must have been the shitty brat’s fault for distracting him or leaving behind a trail.

“So how many of you guys are there?”

“Who knows?” The blonde tracker replied, smiling evasively. “Why do you care so much, Ackerman? Not planning on making a run for it are you?”

“Tch, I just want to know how many shitheads I need to avoid accidentally killing. Don’t want any more nets thrown at me.” The more important question was whether the net had also been intended for him. The Brigade had no qualms about taking out the competition, and he was the biggest one they had. Levi could easily take them in a fair fight, but they didn’t fight fair.

“So what’s with the kid?” He nodded to the netted brunet. As far as Levi could tell, the brat was in his late teens and shouldn’t even be in the forest. Of course, the kid might even be working with the Brigade, but his gut told him that was unlikely. The angry flashes of green from the trapped youth’s eyes as the brunet struggled supported that theory.

“Why don’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?” The shithead wasn’t making sense and Levi didn’t want to have to stand around and waste time talking to the idiot. If one of them was here, the rest of their shitty crew wouldn’t be far behind.

“Feigning ignorance, Ackerman?” Unfortunately, instead of the female tracker answering, Levi a male voice answered. He could recognize the nasally wheezy sound of the head of the Brigade from anywhere. Not a second later, Nile Dok strode out from the woods, looking far too confident for a man who preferred tricks and deception instead of skill. “You’ve always been a strange one with your weird abilities and that strange gear you use. It’ll be better for all of us when you’re gone. Less competition.”

“You can shove that bullshit up your ass, Dok.” The hunter spat back. There were some, like Nile Dok and the rest of the Brigade, who entered the business for glory and gold, but Levi didn’t give a rat’s ass about any of that. He hunted because he was damn good at slaying all manner of creatures. What gold he didn’t spend on equipment was saved up or stashed away in case of emergency.

The other hunters knew to steer clear of him. There were always some overeager trainees who wanted to hunt with him, but they would only drag him down. Early in his hunting career, Levi had been recruited for a seven-man crew to hunt down a nest of carnivorous wyverns. The party leader thought it was supposed to be an easy mission, but it wasn’t. Had it not been for his presence, the entire team would have perished. Instead, those who weren’t scared shitless were eaten or badly injured. Levi had managed to slay the beasts with some difficulty, earning a scar on his back from the effort. The story of his unrivaled success began from there.

It was foolish for Nile and his band of thugs to try and stop him. Anyone with half a brain knew better than to try and take him out. There was a reason it was impossible to wash his cloak free of blood. “I’m going to enjoy skinning you and your crew and leaving your corpses to the crows.”

“Your threats don’t scare me, Ackerman.”

“Go fuck yourself, Dok. You’re just jealous you weren’t able to make it on your own.” When he had begun hunting at the tender age of sixteen, Nile Dok had been one of the first hunters he met. The older man had scoffed at his size and told him that he would never succeed. Ten years later, he was the best in the land and the other hunter’s rank had not changed much. The older man spent more time fraternizing and trying to suck up than hunting, so it wasn’t unexpected.

“Language, Levi. Erwin would be so disappointed.”

“Fuck the blond.” Erwin Smith had been the one to introduce him to hunting. As grateful as he to the blond for showing him a new lifestyle, Levi had quickly learned of the rumors floating around the man. Behind closed doors, there were whispers that he was sleeping with the head of the Hunter’s Association. It was not an unfounded rumor either; Erwin had had male lovers, many of which were smaller and dark-haired, and even made some overtures towards him. Levi had shot them down – hulking blue-eyed blonds weren’t his type.

“Really, Levi? After all that? I’m pretty sure he was into you.” Dok taunted.

“Piss off.” Erwin’s bullshit and the gossip mongering that pervaded the hunter corps was why Levi had moved out as soon as he could afford his own place on the edge of the city. These days he barely went into headquarters aside from collecting his reward and finding the next missions. Most of his time was spent hunting, and the rare time he had off was enjoying a cup of tea and cleaning his apartment.

“Y’know I almost believed in that rumor. The one about you sleeping with other hunters in exchanged for their help.” Levi’s eyes narrowed at the unsavory description of his character. He would never have stooped so low to curry favor with others using his body. “But then again, we both know those pigs can’t hunt anything.”

“As if you’re any better.” Levi scoffed. Nile Dok was talkative, but never _this_ talkative. The man had to be up to something.

A faraway rustling in the woods caught his attention. Straining his hearing, Levi could pick up on the soft footsteps circling around to ensnare them. Talking was only a distraction and way to buy more time. Had he been less attentive to his surroundings, it might have worked too. Now that he knew of the threat, the sooner he was out of here, the better. There was no telling whether Dok’s men were already in place or if they were still getting into position.

Now the only question was the brunet tangled in the net. As he glanced at the brunet, his gaze was captured by the strange youth. Big green eyes stared at him beseechingly. Levi had no idea who the youth was or what he was doing in the woods. He wasn’t dressed for hunting and only a fool would venture so deep. Such an out of place youth was strange and the brat’s familiarity with the forest – no one would foolishly travel without supplies – could have answers about the creature he was hunting. It was easy enough getting the kid out of the net, but the problem was escaping with the brat in tow. Levi had transported others with his gear before, but it would slow his escape substantially.

Normally, he wouldn’t care to save someone so stupid to get trapped in a net, especially an enemy, but it was partially his fault. Rescuing the brat would only be liability, particularly with the Brigade on their tails. However, the alternative, namely leaving the brunet there, didn’t sit well in his stomach. There was no telling what Nile and his gang of thugs would do to the kid. Levi wasn’t known for having a soft spot, but he wasn’t irrationally cruel either. Levi wasn’t cruel enough to leave the captured brunet to the hands of Nile Dok and his cronies either. The Brigade were known for their cruel and inhumane treatment of those they captured.

As far as he knew, the Brigade was far beneath him in skill, but they had somehow managed to track him here either by sheer luck or a hidden ace. Levi didn’t know which it was, but he didn’t want to chance the possibility of being caught unawares. Insofar as advantages went, they were had the upper hand in terms of number. And for Nile to come out and confront him meant they had some trump card he was unaware of…

The sooner Levi was gone from the site the better.

“I’m going to kill the brat if he gets us both captured or killed…” Levi muttered under his breath. He was already beginning to regret his decision even before it was executed.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

Before Nile or his tracker could react, Levi pulled out his blade and spun towards the opposite tree, nearer to the netted kid. Carven immediately leapt out of the way, but her boss took the opportunity to spring the trap.

“Get him!” The slimeball yelled out.

“Shit,” Levi swore to himself as an arrow zipped through nicking him in the thigh. They were more prepared than he originally surmised. Veering off course, he dodged the next couple, positioning himself to unleash a string of attacks on Nile. But before he could get close to the leader of the Brigade, a petite blonde stepped in and parried his blow.

The hunter was momentarily taken aback at her skill as she used her blade to deflect his attack and deliver a cut of her own. Levi managed to avoid injury, but she had undoubtedly cut through his clothing. Not many could pull off what she did. Many had tried, but he was always too fast for them. Then again, he had never encountered any worthy opponent strong enough to pose a challenge.

She was good. Almost as good as him. But he didn’t have time to tarry and admire her skill – she was only buying more time for the Brigade. Blocking her thrust, Levi used the hooks to launch his signature windmill technique, holding one blade in a backhand grip and the other normally, gaining velocity as he threw himself into the attack. The spinning blades acted like a shield, cutting down any arrows into harmless pieces, protecting him from external interference as he let loose on the blonde. Levi gave no quarter, continuing the offensive and pushing her back.

“Yield. And I won’t kill you.” Levi growled, pressing the blade against her neck, watching a thin stream of ruby trickle down. It wasn’t the wisest choice given his current situation, but the dark-haired hunter didn’t want more unnecessary blood on his hands. Plus, the blonde gave off a different vibe than the other members of the Brigade. She was most likely a mercenary hired for the specific reason of besting him.

There was a flicker of indecision before she gave in. “Fine.”

In a flash, before anyone could see what he was doing, he rammed the butt of his blade against her skull, rendering her unconscious. Turning around, he smiled coldly, symbolically swinging his bloodstained blade from left to right across his body to flick the stream of crimson away. More members of the Brigade had emerged from whence they hid, warily glancing amongst themselves.

“Anyone else want to have a go?” They visibly flinched as he took a step forward, blades at the ready. While he had more fight in him, Levi didn’t want it to drag on longer than needed. He could have already escaped, but the problem was the netted brat they had. Once they realized why he had remained, they would undoubtedly use it against him.

Taking a few purposeful steps forward, he quickly came up with a plan of attack. Hoping the net wasn’t barbed or poisoned, he quickly shot out the grappling hooks, using the sudden acceleration to swoop down and collect the kid, net and all, before zipping away.

Chaos erupted the moment he made his move. While Nile was a lazy fuck, he wasn’t that stupid. Levi barely dodged an arrow that flew his way. He felt the sting of another arrow making contact with his arm, but ignored it. A few more arrows flew past him harmlessly hitting the nearby trees. He would have already been out of arrow range, had it not been for the added weight and injuries sustained from battle.

“Stop moving,” he growled at the struggling kid. There was another muffled protest before the heavy lump felt silent. He could make out the sounds of his pursuers crashing through the forest after him. Levi ignored the leaves and twigs whipping his way as he flew in a random direction through the woods, trying to put more distance between him and the Brigade.

He had no idea what direction he was heading, but made sure to keep moving. It was easy to travel in a straight line with so many trees to grasp onto, but he made sure to slowly veer away from a straight line. It would make it more difficult for the trackers. While fast, the gear left noticeable marks against tree bark making it easy to track than if he was on foot.

The sound of rushing water grew louder as he moved. If he had the luxury of time, Levi would have liked to find the source of the sound and wash the blood and sweat off. But he had no time to waste. Every second spend dawdling was another second lost.

A streak of weakness shot up his leg the moment he stepped onto the next branch, causing his knee to buckle, almost losing his balance. Shit, they must have spiked the arrowheads with something. A bit of blood and a few nicks didn’t matter, but his head was definitely starting to feel a little woozy.

Grasping the trunk of the tree, he landed on the soft forest floor, quickly lowering his baggage and untangling the net around the kid. “Get out of here, brat.”

“What about you?” Concerned green eyes looked him over as the youth stood up. The greens in the brunet’s eyes looked like well-polished emeralds, large and full of emotion, in his lightheaded state. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Tch, I’ll be fine.” Levi lied between his teeth. He had absolutely no idea about his survival odds or what was going to happen, but splitting up would be a preferable alternative. As unpredictable as the Brigade was, he doubted they would kill him on sight. The brunet, however, was another story.

Before the conversation could go on any further, Carven burst through the trees with Nile right behind her. There was a victorious sneer on the man’s face. “You’re not getting away this time, Ackerman.”

“Fuck.” Stepping back automatically, he appraised the situation as best he could. Using the gear with the toxins in his system was a dumb idea. He would much rather not crash into a tree, only to wake up bound and gagged or not wake up at all.

“So what are you going to do now, Levi? Feel like surrendering yet?”

“Fuck you.” Surveying his surroundings, he took one small half-step backwards. The hunter hated backing away, but it was the only option. He had no clue how long it would be until the poison knocked him out, how soon the rest of Nile’s men would arrive – another two had popped up in the intervening seconds – or whether the brat could even fight.

“Now, Levi. We both know you’re trapped.”

“Tch.” Levi clicked his tongue in irritation. When he entered the forest earlier that morning, he never expected to be stuck in such a situation with the Brigade or an unknown brat. He would have refused the mission had he known what was coming.

“Oi, can you swim, brat?” He asked to the brunet next to him. If his calculations were correct, the roaring water behind him wasn’t far. It was pretty fast flowing and there was a chance of getting smashed to death by the rocks, but he’d take his chances of a river over the nastiness of the Brigade.

“Yeah, why?”

Chancing a sideways glance, Levi spied the fast flowing river a couple of feet away. “Cause we’re going for a swim.”


	3. Chapter 3

A flash of crimson snagged on a branch caught his vision. Paddling towards the hunter, Eren gripped the cloth, yanking it off. He tried to keep afloat with the other man, but the hunter was too heavy, causing them both to drown. And with the water rushing so quickly, it was impossible to try and remove the man’s gear.

Eren couldn’t believe the hunter had just thrown him into the river with barely any warning. He was a strong swimmer, but the current was too powerful. It had just rained a few days ago, adding to the vicious torrent. It was impossible to see underwater and the added weight of wet clothes certainly did not help deal with the rushing water. His only chance of navigating the vicious meandering body of water was to change forms. But swimming in his clothes was a bad idea. Tugging the strings of his shirt open, he managed to pull the waterlogged fabric over his head, and immediately shifted form.

It was still difficult to swim, but at least the frigid cold wasn’t numbing his senses and his limbs could struggle against the turbulent waters. Fighting against the rush of water, Eren slowly paddled towards the blot of red stuck between two rocks. Nosing the unconscious hunter, he bit down on the crimson fabric, trying not to tear the cloak in his attempts to dislodge the man. It didn’t work.

Silently apologizing for what he was about to do, he bit down as gently as possible on the hunter’s arm. There was a muted groan of pain as he clamped harder down and pulled. It took a moment, but they were finally free of the rocks. Quickly getting under the hunter’s prone body, he followed the current, making his way down the familiar river which forked into separate streams.

Choosing the rightmost stream, the waters had ebbed and waned into something manageable. Recognizing the familiar environment, he shifted back and grasped onto the hunter. Groaning, Eren somehow managed to drag himself and the dark-haired man to the shore. For a man so short, the hunter was extremely heavy and weighed down by waterlogged clothes and equipment.

Grasping for breath, Eren glanced downwards to check on the man he had just saved. He panicked when the man didn’t seem to be breathing. The man’s skin was cold to the touch and there was a bluish tinge on his lips.

A small part of Eren was relieved, since he wouldn’t have to worry about the dark-haired man leaking news of shifters to the outside world. It was troublesome if news leaked that there were shifters hiding in the forest and could lead to unending hunts until they were forced to move. But those hunters they encountered earlier already seemed to know of his existence.

But he was horrified at the thought of killing a human being who had posed no threat… so far. While most shifters were apex predators, they were taught to value life, never taking another life – animal or not – unless it was necessary. There was a distinct possibility that like others before him, the hunter lying in front of him had been commissioned to eradicate him and his village. However, Eren had not detected any bloodlust or ill intent towards him. The dark-haired man had even been surprised and rescued him.

Plus, there was something oddly calming and familiar about the dark-haired hunter’s scent.

Hoping he wouldn’t come to regret saving the man, Eren shifted back into human form and began compressions on the hunter’s chest, hoping to force the water out. Unable to resist, he pressed his lips to pale cool ones, breathing air into the man’s lungs, as he worked. Even cool to the touch, Eren couldn’t help but appreciate how soft they were against his. He certainly would not mind kissing the hunter again. Shaking off the lurid thought, Eren restarted his compressions. The hunter began to convulse a moment later, coughing up mouthfuls of water. The man began to breathe easier when there was no more liquid in his lungs, but he was still unconscious and shivering in the cold.

Thankfully, Eren recognized where they were. They were on the far side of the forest, a few days’ journey from the village. He was surprised at how far the river had brought them. Their original village had not been far from here. Game was plentiful in the area and there was a few hidden caves leftover from animals that he used to play in.

Eren shivered as a cool breeze blew through. Glancing at the skies, he estimated they still had an hour or two of sunlight left. It wasn’t much time, but it was enough to find someplace to stay for the night. While it was still light out, the cool weather was a sign of autumn approaching. Awkwardly managing to pull the man onto his back and wrap his arms around his shoulders, Eren slowly trudged towards the closest cave. He only hoped it was still uninhabited.

Not for the first time was he thankful for his heritage. His father was a large grey wolf and his mother was a smaller timber wolf. He had gotten his mother’s coloring, but resembled his father in animal form. Even when in his normal form, he was more resistant to the cold than most. The hunter was nowhere as lucky, shivering against his back.

The man was surprisingly heavy, but he somehow managed to get them inside. He rubbed the man’s heavy limbs, trying to work some warmth back into the dark-haired man, but all his efforts were futile against the wet fabric.

“I’m sorry.” Eren whispered, as he slowly began to peel the wet fabric off. The shifter was a little concerned at the paleness of the man’s skin. The normally smooth surface was littered with numerous cuts and wounds, both scarred over and fresh. But his attention was captured more by the rest of the hunter’s body. Eren grimaced at the jagged red marks his bite had left along the hunter’s arm. He hadn’t tried to bite too hard, but there wasn’t much he could do without hands. The shifter made note to apply some yarrow to it to help it heal.

Working off the man’s pants, Eren had a difficult time _not_ staring at the hunter’s body. It was difficult not to ogle the dark-haired man. Before him was a fine specimen, toned by years of hunting, muscled without being burly. The river had washed away any stench of the city, and all he could make out was the soft woodsy scent of cedarwood and hints of clove.

A purpling mark against the man’s thigh caught his attention. Slowly moving the hunter’s limbs, he grimaced at the flesh wound tinted green at the edges. While Eren wasn’t well-versed with poisons, he was taught to recognize many of the symptoms. The shifter wasn’t sure what it was, but he could smell the sour taint. Pressing his hand against the dark-haired man’s forehead, he was relieved when it was only slightly warm, but not clammy.

Seeing the blackish-blue tendrils which had begun to spread, he knew there wasn’t much time. Pressing his mouth against the wound, he sucked on the injury. There was a low groan as he worked, tickling the insides of his gut. Quickly spitting out the foul, poisoned blood, he repeated the process until the taste of iron had returned to its natural state. The abnormal color had retreated, returning to its original very pale pink state.

Wiping his mouth off, Eren jogged outside searching for a familiar bush of tiny white flowers. Grabbing a handful of the stems, he pulled them out of the dirt. Rinsing off the dirt from the roots in the river, he stripped leaves off, quickly stuffing the rest of the plant in his mouth and chewed. Cringing at the bitterness, Eren quickly returned to the hunter’s side. Spitting out the chewed up leaves, he applied the mixture to each and every open gash he could see. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. The best he could do was to make themselves comfortable and hope for the best. Sitting back on his heels, he sighed, admiring his patchwork medicine. The yarrow would help staunch the bleeding, dull the pain, and hopefully stimulate healing.

Even if he was familiar with the area, the day was getting dark and he didn’t want to risk getting into an accident or a wild animal attack while searching for food or more herbs. As a wolf shifter, his scent came across as an adult male wolf to the animals, making it unlikely for their rest to be disturbed. He wasn’t too sure about the human though; the dark-haired hunter didn’t carry the same stench the other hunters who had come before him had.

Shivering from the damp fabric clinging to his legs, Eren quickly stripped his pants off. Wringing out as much water as possible, he laid it on one of the rocky outcroppings, hoping it would dry by the morning. A fire would have been preferred, but he didn’t want to risk luring the other humans to their location. Glancing at the hunter’s equipment, he mouthed a silent apology and repeating the procedure with the man’s clothes and belongings. Eren didn’t like going through other people’s things, but he knew the damage river water could do to clothes.

He briefly ventured out to gather a few slabs of moss and grasses growing nearby, munching on a few berries while doing so, laying the soft fuzz on the ground and bringing the hunter to rest on top of the plants. Grabbing a few long sticks, he draped the hunter’s slightly damp red cloak along it, using it as a makeshift fabric wall of sorts. It wouldn’t do much aside from blocking a breeze or two.

While he wasn’t cold, the hunter was noticeably shivering. The dark-haired man had curled up in fetal position, assuming a small ball on the blanket of moss. Their clothes were still wet and neither of them had anything dry to cover themselves with. Eren knew he could shift into a wolf and rely on his thick coat to keep the hunter warm, but didn’t want to risk waking up to find a blade between his ribs.

Which left him only one alternative…

He wasn’t going to let modesty get in the way of keeping the hunter alive after having done so much to save the man from drowning. Normally wary of strangers, his inner wolf barely batted an eye as he pulled the smaller body against his. Eren couldn’t help appreciate how the man fit perfectly in his arms, melting against his chest, the cleft of the man’s ass pressing intimately up against his groin. Even chilled, he could feel other parts of his body stir as their skin came in contact. It took all of the shifter’s willpower not to react to the highly sexual position. It had been too long since Eren had slept with someone. If not for the fact the hunter was at risk of hypothermia, nor did he have permission, he might have been tempted to try something more.

Closing his eyes, the shifter quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

 

“What the fuck!”

The loud masculine exclamation of surprise barely registered before there was a sudden burst of pain exploded on his stomach. “Ow…” Curling inwards instinctively, Eren’s eyes blearily opened to land on a dusty rock floor and a pair of pale feet. It took his mind a moment to catch up to what was happening, but his eyes shot open when it did. Sitting up, he was taken aback at the pair of gunmetal eyes glaring hotly down at him.

“Care to explain why the fuck we were naked and you’re rutting against me like some horny dog?” He dimly noted that the hunter had wrapped the blood red cloak around his hips.

“Uhh… I can explain?” Rubbing his stomach, Eren felt like molten steel was searing into him. Fury and skepticism were etched in the shorter male’s dangerous glare. He was a little surprised at how quickly the hunter had recovered – humans were supposed to heal slowly – but it wasn’t like he had anything to compare again.

“Then explain.”

“Well, err…” he gulped nervously. The sight of the naked hunter did nothing to calm the rapid thumping of his heart. “You were out of it from the river and I think the arrow was poisoned.” He nodded towards the yarrow-covered wound on the man’s thigh. It was difficult to stop his eyes from drifting downwards and admiring the hard, toned contours on the hunter’s stomach. The shifter had a thing for muscles and the pissed-off hunter had some of the best he had seen.

Swallowing, Eren forced his eyes upwards to meet those icy greys. “So after making sure it was out of your system… the… err… it was really to make sure you wouldn’t get hypothermia.”

“Oh?” The disbelief was evident, but everything he said _was_ the truth.

“It’s true. I swear. I didn’t mean anything by it.” The skeptical look in the hunter’s eyes conveyed he didn’t believe Eren’s words. But there was no way Eren was going to admit to the lurid thoughts which had fluttered in his mind when the hunter was in his arms. “…Really.”

Wary metallic eyes glowered at him for a moment longer before the dark-haired man broke away first. His gaze was fixed on the faint scars running along the hunter’s back as the man moved to grab his dried clothes and rummage through his belongings. There was one horrifying large one stretching most of his back, as though some beast had tried to claw him to death.

“Where are you going?” Eren got up worriedly. The wounds sustained were only flesh wounds, but he didn’t want any of his hard work undone.

“I’m going to take a bath and find something to eat.” The dark-haired hunter grimaced, quickly rubbing off Eren’s makeshift medicine and scowling. “I feel gross.”

“Uhh… okay.”

Eren’s throat was dry as he watched the dark-haired hunter walk towards the entrance of the cave. In the sunlight and without clothes in the way, he could see the way each muscle shifted. Despite his scowl, the hunter was definitely beautiful with his pale skin, dark hair, and perfectly proportioned body. Eren wanted to run his hands against that toned body and lick the sweat coating the pale skin. His groin twitched from the memory of being cradled in the warmth of the hunter’s firm butt all last night. The cave was completely soaked in the dark-haired masculine scent, and the memory of spooning the man kept playing on repeat in his mind.

“Shit.” He cursed to himself, glancing at the raging hard-on which had been revived by the sight of the walking wet dream strolling away. Eren couldn’t believe he was getting an erection in the middle of the forest while being chased by other hunters. Not only was the object of his lust a human whose name he still didn’t know, but the man was a _hunter,_ someone whose livelihood was to hunt and slay creatures such as him.

There was no way he was going to relieve himself in the cave. He could wait it out, but there was no telling how soon it would die down with all the reminders of the dark-haired man around him. The other option, Eren realized, was to join the hunter in the cold water and hope it would cool him down enough. He would much rather not be walking around the woods with a raging boner.

Copying the hunter’s actions, he grabbed what clothes he had remaining, namely his pants, and walked over to the water. Finding a calmer spot a couple of feet downstream of the flowing current, he dropped his pants on the shore and walked in. The cold water immediately cooled his libido off. Walking further in until the water lapped at his hips, he bent down. Breathing in deeply, Eren submerged his head under the gurgling stream, shocking himself awake. Now that his mind was clearer, it was difficult to believe the imaginations he had been having about a human hunter whose name he didn’t even know.

A nearby splash caught his attention. Immediately turning his head, he caught more than just an eyeful of the hunter’s pale, alabaster skin. Riveted, Eren stared as the dark-haired man worked up a lather with the small bar of soap and spread it over his body. The hunter’s attitude had a little to be desired, but for a man so short, he was cut. Eren wished he was the bar of soap gliding over those hard muscles, caressing every inch of skin. It was impossible to stop his lower head growing harder.

Unable to help it, he palmed his heated flesh, stroking it as he watched the hunter wash himself. Inhaling deeply, he caught a whiff of the man’s woodsy, earthy scent untainted with any of sweat or rancid of poison. It was glorious.

Taking in another lungful, Eren had the uncontrollable urge to run his tongue over his lips, wondering whether that skin tasted the same it smelled. He could already imagine it on his palate. He wanted to mark that pale column of flesh. Run his teeth against the bob whenever the man swallowed. Cover the shorter man in his own scent, both inside and out.

Shutting his eyes, Eren could remember the distinct warmth of being pressed up against that warm crevice. He could only imagine what it was like to have the hunter on his hands and knees, head bowing, as he plunged into the tight passage. The man was perfectly sized to fuck; half a head shorter than him, which would mean a perfect view of those silvery eyes blown in pleasure.

“Hnng…” Fisting his dick tighter, a small groan of pleasure escaped as he touched himself. Thank god he was downstream and any sounds would travel _away_ from the object of his lust. Turning his head quickly to make sure the dark-haired man hadn’t caught him in the act, Eren caught sight of the man walking back into the cave.

Taking the opportunity, he sped up his movements, feeling the familiar pressure build behind his balls. Blinding light flickered behind his eyelids as he came. “Nnngh!”


	4. Chapter 4

Levi curled his tongue as the brunet returned. He waited until the kid was properly attired to speak. There was a faint blush, barely visible on the tanned skin, as the kid walked ashore. For someone who had been so brazen as to masturbate naked in the water, the brat had the audacity to be embarrassed as he picked up and put on a pair of ripped pants lying on the rocks. Levi had no idea where the kid’s shirt when, but his upper body was completely exposed.

“Oi, put this on.” He tossed his red cloak towards the kid. His clothes would be too short for the brunet and Levi would rather not be traipsing inside the forest with a shirtless brat. He already found his eyes unhealthily glued to the bob of the brat’s Adam’s apple when they had spoken earlier, but dangling the caramel flesh in front of him was more than an unwelcome distraction. It was a fucking disaster waiting to happen. He didn’t know the brat and he didn’t _want_ to.

“So who are you and what’s a brat like you doing in the forest?” The hunter crossed his arms, wincing at the mysterious bite mark on his forearm, and glared at the brat he had saved at the risk of his own neck. Levi had a rough idea of what had happened after his daring jump into the river, but why Nile Dok and his cronies had come was still a mystery to him. The negative feelings between the two of them certainly did not warrant what had happened. Which could only mean one thing: that they had come for the kid whose life he had saved.

“That’s a lot of questions you’re asking.”

“You better answer them then, _brat_.”

Emerald fires flared for a moment, before the brightness waned. “First of all, I’m not a brat. I’m Eren. And I’m older than you think I am. How old are you anyways?”

“That’s bullshit.” Raking the covered kid, Levi guessed the brunet to be in his late teens. Definitely not a day over twenty. “You’re what? Seventeen? Eighteen tops?”

“Rude.” The kid’s nostrils flared. Bright green with flecks of gold stared at the hunter for a moment before Eren opened his mouth. “I’m… forty-six…?” He trailed off hesitating for a moment before correcting himself. “No, forty-seven in human years.”

“Kid, there’s no fucking way you’re older than I am.” Levi scowled at the blatant falsehood.

“How old are you then?” The brunet fired back. “And I still don’t know your name, _Mister_.”

“Levi. Levi Ackerman.” The hunter was somewhat surprised that the strange brat hadn’t already recognized him. Even those residing in faraway villages had heard stories or at least knew of his reputation. “And I’m thirty-three.”

“Yup, I’m older than you are.” There was a wolfish grin as Eren beamed at him.

“Don’t fuck with me, kid.” Levi didn’t like jokes on a good day. As this wasn’t even remotely a good day – he was stuck in the middle of the forest, had just taken a barely passing shower in a stream, and had some cuts that needed taken care of – the dark-haired hunter’s patience was wearing extremely thin.

“Well, I’m not lying.”

Admittedly, Levi’s gut instinct told him that the brat wasn’t lying. There was, however, something about Eren’s demeanor and manner of speaking that put Levi on edge. Eren hadn’t told him the whole truth or was keeping something back.

“Kid, I’ve dealt with liars and thieves my whole life, and while my gut tells me you’re not lying, there’s something you’re not telling me.” He crossed his arms, narrowing his gaze. It was enough to make a normal person wither and admit to lying. “So what is it?”

Bright green with flecks of gold stared at the hunter for a moment before Eren opened his mouth. Those rosy lips opened and closed once more silently. “Well… that’s because I’m a shifter.”

“That’s bullshit.” He might not have seen everything during his tenure as a hunter, but it was Levi’s first time hearing of any shifters. Many mythical creatures could assume humanoid form, but there were faults with their guises. Sirens couldn’t disguise their webbed fingers, and lamias had preternaturally sharp teeth meant to rip flesh and serpentine eyes which gleamed in the dark. Eren, however, looked _fully_ human.

“Arghh… fine.” The brunet threw off the borrowed cloak and pants before Levi could stop him. A moment later, Eren’s skin began to steam and soon after, the upright human was replaced with a large brown wolf with uncanny yellow eyes.

He had heard rumors of shifters, but those had always turned out to be rumors. But this…

Levi blinked, trying to reconcile the youthful brat with the large brown wolf in front of him. The beast’s fur certainly had the same hue as the brat’s hair, but that was where the resemblance ended. Golden orbs stared at him, belying its humanoid intelligence, as the lupine creature took a few steps forward. Levi recoiled as it nosed his hand, cocked its head as if daring the hunter to deny its previous claim. He could feel the warmth breath as the wolf breathed sloppily next to him.

“Okay… fine. I get it …” The dark-haired man gave in reluctantly, stepping back from the wolf. It was impossible to deny the proof in front of his eyes and explained the bite marks on his skin. Knowing what the brat was made him rethink his decision to rescue the shifter. There was a high chance that this _shifter_ was the reason he was here in the first place. But at the same, he had never encountered such a humanoid creature. Had Eren not shifted in front of his eyes, he would have scoffed it off as a stupid joke.

What could be seen as a wide feral grin, complete with razor-sharp teeth and saliva, spread across the wolf’s mouth before the animal was engulfed in another burst of steam. A moment later, standing in front of him was Eren in all his naked human glory.

He waited until the shifter was dressed before addressing him again. “So what the fuck does being a shifter mean?”

“What do you mean?”

“Can you transform into anything?” Levi’s gut told him that it was impossible for Eren, as either a man or beast, to kill so many people. But if the brat was holding back, then he would need to deal with the threat.

“Nope. Just a wolf.” Eren made a move to disrobe once again. “Did you want see it again?”

“What the – No.” He had no idea what the hell the shifter was thinking. As entertaining as it might be seeing the brat disrobe, Levi was in no way into pubescent teens under twenty, or willing to get tangled up with a shifter. But it certainly explained the brat’s lack of modesty. “Are you the one responsible for humans disappearing in the woods?”

“Well… I don’t eat humans if that’s what you’re asking.”

He narrowed his eyes at the roundabout answer. Levi trusted his instincts, and while they told him that Eren was telling the truth when it came to shifting… the brat knew more than he let on about the vanishing humans.

Well… Eren being not fully human definitely answered the question of _why_ the Brigade wanted the shifter dead. The only question remaining was how did they know? In all his years of hunting, Levi had never heard of shifters aside from tall tales or unsubstantiated rumors.

Eyeing the lean brat, even in wolf form, Levi doubted Eren could have taken on all the hunters by himself. One or two of the, certainly, but certainly not the team of four who had vanished. Besides, had the shifter been stronger, he would never have gotten pinned down or trapped underneath the net when they had first encountered each other. The woven cotten garments had on indicated that the brunet had encountered humans before, but the way Eren acted was too naïve to have done so. There had to be more of them in the woods. “How many of you are there?”

“Why? Are you going to hunt us down after I saved your life?’ Fierce green eyes immediately narrowed on him.

“I haven’t decided yet.” Levi answered truthfully watching the shifter’s expression darken. There was no point in beating behind the bushes. “It’s true I’m a hunter, but I’ve only killed those that deserve it.”

Hunting might have been his calling, but Levi had a rule about hunting things that were harmful to society. There were far too much violence and bloodshed amongst humans; he didn’t need to add to it. Some creatures such as unicorns or faeries did no harm and were never on his radar. Trolls and ogres, which attacked indiscriminately needed to be put down. And shifters… he wasn’t sure where in the spectrum they fell.

“So you’re saying you still might kill us?”

“It is a possibility.” He answered without pause. “But only if you’ve been harming humans without cause.”

“You were the ones who attacked us first!” Eren replied hotly. “We only defended ourselves! Do you know how many of my friends and family died back then?”

“What are you talking about?” Levi scowled. None of the reports, not that there had been many to begin with, had referenced anything about an attack on shifters.

“Why do you care? I bet you just want to kill us like the rest of them anyways.” The brat huffed, crossing his arms.

“Need I remind you, that I _saved_ your sorry ass from the Brigade?” Levi smartly refrained from revealing his reservations now that he knew Eren’s identity. It was his responsibility as a hunter to slay creatures threatening humanity, but shifters were unlike any creature he had ever encountered before. Rarely were any capable of human speech and intelligence. And the level at which Eren expressed himself was as if he were a real human. It only added to Levi’s headache.

“How did they even know who you are though?” While he didn’t mingle much with the rest of the hunters, as one of the best, others generally kept him informed in some regards. Most weren’t as competitive or snooty as Nile Dok and generally shared whatever information, sometimes with a cost, fairly readily.

“Huh, who?” The brat looked at him confused.

“The Brigade, no shit.” Who else was he supposed to be talking about? They had no other mutual acquaintances. “How’d they know we were there?”

“Dunno. Maybe they tracked you? We mostly keep to ourselves.”

“Tch, as if.” The notion of him being tracked was preposterous. “They probably followed your tracks, brat.”

“How? I would have smelled them if they were following me.” Levi had never heard of someone using their sense of smell to track him, but it explained how Eren managed to follow him through the woods. Shitty shifters and their sense of smell.

“Whatever.” Rubbing his forehead with his good arm, Levi quickly appraised the situation. He was injured – his body was still weak from the earlier injury and supplies were low – but more importantly, there were two things that needed to be done.

First, they needed to get to safety. Eren might have done some emergency first aid, but Levi didn’t want any of the cuts getting infected from negligence. Having an open wound in a forested environment wasn’t a good idea and there was no telling whether the Brigade had poisoned them or not. If they were smart, they would have – it was a tactic he had used to prevent his quarry from getting too far.

Second, he needed to figure a way to get the Brigade off their backs and finish his mission. Knowing that Eren was a shifter helped resolve some of the question whether there were creatures in the woods, but his gut told him that the brat could not be solely responsible for the disappearances. At the very least, it had been a collaborative effort with the other shifters Eren had brought up. Levi had no idea whether they were out to get him or not, but being alone in the woods put him at a severe disadvantage. It would be better to leave and gather more information before continuing the hunt. As good a hunter as he was, Levi hated plunging in any situation blindly.

Glancing at the shifter who had been eye-fucking him in the water, he sighed. As unwilling as he was to work with the brat, he had little choice. He couldn’t hunt effectively with his injury and the water had carried them god knows where. Eren undoubtedly knew the woods better than he did, and traveling with the shifter would also him to get a better sense for the situation.

“So how do you think we deal with them?” The brat spoke up.

While the Brigade only had ten official members, Levi knew for a fact Nile would band with other unsavory hunters for larger missions. That was definitely the case here. While it would be an easy enough task to sneak past them, he hated being indebted to anyone. Leaving the shifter behind in a forest full of hunters sat ill with him. Plus, the idea of Nile Dok besting him left a foul taste in his mouth.

“Hmm, we’ll think of something.” Levi replied noncommittally. Flirting with the idea of getting rid of the Brigade once and for all, the hunter quickly dismissed the idea as being unrealistic given his lack of supplies and unfamiliar with the terrain. It would be a viable option under other circumstances, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

A small rumble of protest from his stomach concurred, pulling Levi’s thoughts away from the Brigade. “But first, we need some god damn food.”

“I can help with that.” Eren’s reply was accompanied by a large wolfish grin.


	5. Chapter 5

“How much further is it?” He hollered at the brat. While his hasty water escape had allowed them to avoid capture, it had washed away most of his supplies, and according to Eren, brought them far away from their initial start in the southern parts to the far western edge.

“We’re almost there! I can smell them!” Came the excited reply.

After a thorough discussion by the water, they had decided to travel together to the shifter’s territory. Venturing into the unknowns with a shifter was like prodding a hornet’s nest, but Levi’s instincts told him it was better than the alternative. Nile Dok and his cronies posed more of a threat than a lone hunter. The man had no qualms butchering and slaughtering anything in his path. In exchange, Levi had promised not to hunt the shifters down and to assist in eliminating the Brigade threat so long as no innocents were harmed.

The hunter never claimed his hands were free of human blood, but those he had dealt with were criminals and thugs, preying on the weak and desperate. Once he had taken out a group of bandits pretending to be hunters and taking advantage of a poor villages’ naiveté. While Levi hoped he wouldn’t have to do so, the possibility of having to kill the shifter still existed.

This was the third day of their trek and according to the shifter, they would be there soon. Their travels had been slow, due to his injuries which were rapidly healing, and because they needed to cut across the river. Strangely, despite only having known the Eren – the shitty shifter, his mind hastily corrected – for a short while, Levi felt more at ease with the kid than he had been with anyone else for a long time. It had taken some time, but having the shared goal of dealing with the Brigade helped smooth things between them. Levi was reluctant to rely on or grow too fond of the brat in the off chance he would eventually have to kill him, but their situation necessitated cooperation and a level of communication between one other.

Each passing minute made it more difficult to think of the brunet as a nameless shifter and a nonhuman creature that needed to be dealt with. Instead, his mind had begun thinking of the shifter as ‘Eren,’ a shitty shifter, who despite claiming to be nearly half a century, acted more like a fifteen-year-old brat. From his observations, Eren was anything but the violent, murderous creatures Levi had hunted before. The shifter showed an almost child-like fascination with city life, often badgering him for more information or stories about his travels and hunts. To reciprocate, Levi was regaled with stories of Eren’s youth running through the forests and growing up as a shifter.

Had Eren not shown him his transformation, Levi would never have believed the brat was a shifter. He was much too similar to any other human on the streets. A shaggy-haired green-eyed kid with a strange accent and was a little _off_. The shifter was a little too comfortable hiking about shirtless and no normal person would track things by scent, but other than a few quirks, Eren was distinctly human.

“Over here, Levi!”

“Finally.” The hunter muttered, watching as the shifter vanished behind a rocky outcropping. Picking up his pace, Levi let his mind wander to his odd choice of travel companion.

It had taken Levi some time to wrap his mind around the fact that the kid with amazing eyes and a killer smile who looked barely twenty was in fact a shifter and older than he was. Between humping his backside and masturbating in the water, Eren was clearly physically attracted to him. Levi had previously convinced himself not to be distracted by the caramel skin and viridian eyes because the brat was underage, but now he had a different set of problems. They had no spare garments and the cloak the shifter borrowed did nothing to hide the shifter’s lean, toned body. Despite how they were both sweaty and gross from walking through the woods, the few whiffs he caught of the shifter’s scent didn’t disgust him. Instead, Eren smelled like the forest air with hints of salt sprinkled. It reminded him of the scent of wet stones after it had just rained sprinkled with a spicy, musky undertone. Levi had never enjoyed anything beyond the scent of tea, but the shifter’s scent was strangely appealing. It was _clean_ in a way that had his senses reeling.

It had been nearly half a year since Levi had felt the need to seek sexual gratification. Finding a partner certainly wasn’t hard with his reputation, but being more sensitive to scents and sounds than most around him only made sex that much more unpleasant. Relieving the itch for physical companionship was great, but it wasn’t worth the effort given how difficult it was to wash off the nasty stench of sweat and bodily odors afterwards. Hygiene wasn’t big for most humans; most didn’t even wash daily given the difficulty carrying water into the tub.

“We’re here!” Eren had a wide smile on his face when Levi caught sight of him again. The greens in the shifter’s eyes brighter than he had seen them. Wiping his mind and expression clear of the disturbing thoughts simmering underneath, he turned to admire the structures built in the dense trees. It was something Levi had never imagined seeing – a village in the trees. There were houses wrapped around the trunks, hidden in the thick boughs. There were also structures for living on the ground, located just below the trees, blending in the shadows.

“Wait here, while I get the elder.” Levi nodded stiffly as Eren ran inside, feeling the weight of hundreds of pairs of eyes on him. The few shifters he caught milling around looked no different from normal humans in the outlying villages. Their clothing was a little different, but there were no outward physical differences than the people he was accustomed to seeing. He had, however, caught sight of one or two emerging unclothed from the woods before spotting him and rushing out of sight.

Discreetly palming the handles of his blades, the prickling at the back of his neck from being observed was unsettling. Right now his life was in Eren’s hands. If the brat screwed up and caused him to be labeled as an enemy, he would need to fight his way out. Knowing that all of them were shifters and could change forms was something he had never dealt with.

Luckily he didn’t have to wait long as a familiar chocolate-haired shifter jogged back beaming at him.

 

Aimlessly strolling around the edges of the shifter village, Levi let the chill of the evening air help him focus on the revelations he had just been bombarded with. After negotiating how to deal with the Brigade, the conversation had veered in a strange direction. It had been a complete arrow from the dark when the elder, Pixis, had asked him for his and his mother’s name, and revealed that Levi was in fact, half-shifter. His mom had left the village nearly forty years ago and never returned. Had it not been for his scent, which prompted the question in the first place, he would never have found out about his shifter heritage.

Climbing on some fallen boulders, he climbed up on a vantage point surveying the surrounding area. The rocky outcropping was still dwarfed by the trees around them, but it let him feel the air against his face. Part of him was still in a state of disbelief, but knowing his heritage did assuage some of the anxieties he had growing up. Levi had been labeled a freak growing up, and his odd physical talents only set him apart further. It hadn’t faded even after growing up. He had always enjoyed the outdoors and had a natural knack for flying through the winds, which combined with his strange night vision and sensory abilities still garnered strange looks. While he would never be able to shift due to his human blood, there was a chance he had inherited other traits such as a longer lifespan.

But while it filled him with relief that his trust in Eren had paid off, a lump of guilt had firmly lodged itself in his throat at revelation that he had entertained the thought of killing _family_. Although shifters were more human-like than many of the creatures he had slain, it made Levi ponder about his previous hunts. The thought of being a cold-blooded killed sat ill in his stomach. Many of those he had hunted were justified, such as the giants hell-bent on stomping out villages, but there were many other smaller hunts commissioned out of fear and no real substance. If anything, humanity tended to kill first and then ask questions. If they found out about his shifter-heritage, it was highly possible he would go from being the hunter to the hunt _ed_.

“Penny for your thoughts?” The familiar tone came from somewhere behind him, jerking out of his thoughts. Glancing around, Levi could make out a pair of green eyes and shadowed figure waving at him.

“Tch, trying to sneak up on me?”

“No, I wouldn’t want to risk that again.” The shifter chuckled a little. “Don’t want another blade against my neck.”

“Then what are you here for?” Levi scowled as the brat made his way towards his boulder. Their meeting with the elder had only confirmed Eren’s claim that he was indeed almost fifty years of age. Hell, knowing that most of the baby-faced dolts around him were decades older than him was bizarre. Levi was accustomed to being underestimated given his size and youthful face, but it seemed like that was the case for all shifters.

“Nothing. I thought you could use a friend.” There was a wan smile as Eren perched himself on the rock next to Levi. “Mind if I join you?”

“Whatever.” It wasn’t as if the shifter hadn’t already joined him. Being polite company was never his thing and Levi didn’t know how to face the shifter after everything that had happened earlier today.

“Y’know… I never thought you were one of us.”

There it was again. It was strange to learning that he had a family. There were a few Ackermans in the village, and all of them had some mixture of dark silky hair, pale skin, and grey eyes. He had even met one of them after Eren had dragged him to meet his friends. Too used to fending for himself, Levi didn’t know what to think of his newfound family.

“I mean I’ve heard of half-shifters, but I didn’t know they were still a thing…” Eren drifted off waiting for him to respond.

Shrugging, Levi wasn’t sure what to say. What else could he say? Sorry, for being born this way?

It was odd having a group of shifters welcome him into their midst. Levi had never experienced the warm hearth and nonjudgmental smiles of a family before – his mom had died when he was young and his dad was never in the picture – but that was the way they treated him. Of course, he had only met a handful of them, and there were traces of lingering reservations in their eyes, but he had never been so warmly welcomed in such a small timeframe. Even the hunters whom he worked alongside were often envious of his skill and tried to curry favor with him. The hunter suspected Eren had a large part to do with his welcome. The gregarious brunet was genuinely well-liked and cared for in the community.

And speaking of the green-eyed, brown-haired shifter…

Levi’s gut had burned with a strange intensity when he saw Eren happily reunited and hugging with some of his friends. They hadn’t exchanged much personal information, and it was certainly not for the brat’s lack of trying, but there was a good chance the brat was already in a serious relationship. Eren did seem awfully close with one or two of them.

They sat in amicable silence, staring at as the twinkling stars gradually began their dance on the night skies, pirouetting and glittering in the distance. A tranquil forest symphony played in the background. At first there was the bright chirping of fireflies and insects fluttering about, signaling the beginning of the night. Then came the rustling of underbrush and skittering of nocturnal animals peeking out of their homes and beginning their forage for food. Finally, the low hoot of owls waking up from their slumber completed the melody. Levi had encountered many of these forest sights and sounds, sans the shifter, but each time his attention was intent on hunting, always focused on the one tiny giveaway that would signal the start of the hunt. It had never been simply turned to the world outside hunting.

Glancing at Eren whose upturned face was bathed in moonlight, the hunter loathed admitting how accustomed he was to the chatterbox along their short journey. As relieving and peaceful as it was sitting by himself and enjoying the crisp evening air he kind of missed Eren’s presence. He certainly appreciated the shifter’s tact in keeping quiet about everything that had happened right now, but there was only so much thinking one could do by himself.

Just then, another gust blew through causing his skin to break out in small bumps. Tucking the cloak closer around him, Levi had no idea how Eren could sit there wearing the thinnest shirt and not feel cold. It must have been a shifter thing. He was envious of the shifter’s resistance to the damn cold.

“Cold?” Instead of replying, Levi threw a glare at the shifter who was sitting there as though not bothered by chill which accompanied the setting of the sun. “Here.” Before Levi could react, Eren threw an arm around him, pulling him into the shifter’s warm embrace. The brat was like a fireplace, nice and cozy on a cool autumn day.

“Don’t you have anything else better to do?” He grunted to hide his displeasure at how much he enjoyed the shifter’s body heat, as they moved synchronous to position themselves more snugly. After all of Eren’s tales of his home, childhood, and of being a shifter, it was curious why Eren was cared so much about his wellbeing. The brat had been missing for at least four days and he was spending the time with an outsider rather than with family and friends.

“Not really. I already caught up with most of them earlier.”

“You sure you don’t have someone waiting back there for you?” Levi had noticed the silent glare from the other Ackerman earlier. He had no clue who she was or what her deal was, but her passive aggressive attitude towards him irked him. “You seemed pretty close with my cousin.”

Whatever relationship she had concocted to explain the so-called closeness between Eren and him was an illusion. They might have spent a couple of days and nights with one another as company, and could be considered acquaintances, but there was nothing between them. While Levi had an inkling that Eren wouldn’t be averse to something _more_ , it was a vague unspoken desire. Never acted upon.

“Mikasa?” There was an airy chuckle, the sound vibrating from the shifter’s chest through to Levi’s sternum. “She’s just a friend.” There was a change in the hunter’s tone as hot air feathered against his hair. “Besides, I enjoy spending time with you _more_ , Levi.”

“Tch, you mean you want to get in my pants.” Levi snorted. He could still recall the lewd noises Eren made masturbating back in the river or the blatant gazes of admiration. The brat had balls of steel jacking off to and in front of some complete stranger.

He had picked up a couple of other things on his trek with the shifter. Chief among them was how the blushing virgin act Eren put on was really for show. The shifter was too brazen and brash, but also a very skilled hunter and tracker. Levi supposed it was due to Eren’s shifter abilities and all the time in the woods, but it was rare for him to meet anyone close to him in terms of skill.

“Would it be a crime if I said yes?”

“You really have no shame, do you, Yeager?” Levi snorted.

There was also a gulf between their cultures’ treatment of nudity and sex. The hunter would rather be caught dead than be naked out on the streets, but for shifters, it was less of a sin. While it wasn’t encouraged, it wasn’t frowned upon either. Sex was the same way. There were brothels and houses of sin, but nearly all of it happened in private. In the woods, however, there were no stone walls trapping the sound and he supposed with animalistic senses of smell, there would be no hiding it either.

 “Well I got the chance to see you naked, so it was only fair you saw me too.” The shifter shrugged as though strolling around the woods buck naked was a natural thing. “And you can’t deny you’re interested. I could smell it on you while we came here.”

“Tch.” Levi clicked his tongue in irritation. Indeed, he was attracted to the shifter. One of the pleasures of having Eren lead the way had been watching those lithe muscles and sculpted ass move. What he wouldn’t give to feel that heated flesh against his. He had made sure to disguise his gaze as much as possible though. A human wouldn’t have been able to tell, but the hunter had forgotten all about the shifter’s shitty sense of smell.

“So how about it?” A firm hand stroked his thighs, near his groin, sending heated tingles into his flesh.

Pondering for a moment, Levi considered his options. There wasn’t much else to do that night except look over his equipment, think about what was going to happen, and sleep. And Eren definitely wasn’t bad on the eyes. Levi had scarcely met someone who was alluring as the shifter with his sun kissed skin, bright eyes, and toned body. And those he had met or seen, often had shitty personalities.

“Okay. But you better make it worth it.”

“Oh, it definitely will be.” Eren turned to him, eyes glowing molten gold.


	6. Chapter 6

Eren stared in rapt attention, pulse speeding up as he admired the hunter standing in front of him. The green-eyed shifter couldn’t believe how toned the man was. But it made sense given how easily Levi had been able to carry him without difficulty when they first met. His arms were made of lean muscle. Chiseled abs that would make anyone envious. Muscled thighs and a sculpted ass made perfect for digging his fingers into. Eren wondered what the calloused fingers from years of hunting would feel against his skin.

Eren’s eyes were drawn back to the soft raven locks crowning Levi’s head, his fingers itching to weave through the inky black strands which began from that sharp widow’s peak, cresting, and framing the hunter’s face and making him look younger. The ebony strands stuck out from the rest of Levi’s coloring, jet black and untainted by color.

He could feel the heat from Levi’s similarly unique eyes. Like liquid mercury, flinty like the shards of obsidian, then melting and turning to silver. Cold as chips of ice freshly carved from frozen tundra in one moment, and then heated like molten steel from glowing fiercely in the darkness in the next.

Skimming his eyes down, Eren stared at the kissable cupid-bow lips normally hidden in a scowl. Pale slips of pink which stood apart from Levi’s otherwise monochromatic coloring. He had kissed those soft, supple, and smooth lips once before and craved a deeper taste. Enraptured, he watched as Levi’s mouth opened to speak, barely catching the words that flowed out.

“Oi, are you just going to stare at me like you did in the river, brat?” A teasing smirk formed on those lips. Just a small upward lift at each corner. The real amusement shone in those obsidian orbs which were openly perusing him.

“Wha–!” Eren was taken aback from having his dirty little secret known. “You knew?”

“Of course. You suck at hiding a secret, _Eren_.” The hunter purred his name, walking closer, and breathing hotly against Eren’s ear. His heart beat furiously in its cage, thumping enough to hear without any trouble. “Scared of topping? Shall I go first then?”

“No! It’s just that you’re so beautiful Levi…” Eren trailed off. That was the only word he could come up with to describe the pale-skinned hunter.

“Tch, are you some fifty-year-old virgin? This isn’t your first time, is it?”

“Can’t I admire how beautiful you are? I didn’t get a chance to before.”

As a shifter, Eren was used to seeing others naked – clothing only got in the way when changing forms – but he couldn’t help but think that Levi was beautiful. Highlighted by the streams of moonlight flickering through the canopy, the hunter’s body was as pale as moonlight, adorned with the occasional scar, lithe, and made entirely of lean muscles bursting with hidden strength. Strands of silky black gleamed in the silvery light.

“Huh.” Levi flushed slightly, never having experienced someone complimenting him with such directness. He was used to snarky comments about his height, implying that he would be a good bottom given his height, and not things that Eren intimated.

“You want me that badly, Levi?” Eren boldly took a step forward, delighting at the small shiver that passed through the hunter. “Lie back.” Pushing Levi backwards onto his red cloak, Eren licked his lips in anticipation at the sight of the dark-haired, pale-skinned hunter.

There was a feral light in his eyes as the shifter leaned his head down. Moving down with the hunter, he roughly latching his mouth onto Levi’s as he had wanted to do for a long time, Eren pressed forward with his tongue, slipping in and exploring the sweet, warm cavern. Eren could taste a hint of mint, cool and refreshing, on his tongue.

“Damn, you taste good.” He breathed, diving in again.

Breathing heavily, the chill of the evening air had completely dissipated under the heated expression the shifter had. Levi shivered unconsciously at the animalistic light in Eren’s eyes, a salacious expression painted on that visage. It was wolfish, hungry, and lustful. He had never felt something so intense before; it was as though Eren was going to devour him alive.

“Let’s see if you taste as good everywhere else.”

Lowering his mouth once more, he began suckling a trail along the Levi’s neck, licking a trail against the nervous bob of the hunter’s Adam’s apple. Eren wished he had use of both hands, but he made do with one. Pressing his fingers against Levi’s mouth, he felt the man’s tongue swirl over his digits, sucking on them and warming them up.

“Nhnn…” Suckling the pink flesh, Eren could feel Levi’s nipples swell up in his mouth, hands grasping at his scalp. The quiet whimpers were at odds with the hunter’s rough attitude, making him want to tease the dark-haired man even more. Eren’s hands skimmed over the curves and dips of the hunter’s body, toeing closer to his ass.

“Can you get on all fours?” He growled, needing to see the rounded backside of the hunter offered up to him.

“Tch.” Rolling around, Levi got on his hands and knees. He felt so much more vulnerable, unable to see or control what the shifter was doing. Hands gripped at his waist and he could feel _something_ rub against his ass.

“The fuck…?” Levi breathed as the hot and wet object, too mobile to be a penis, nudged inside him. It took his lust-addled mind a moment to realize what Eren was doing. “Nnn… What are you doing?”

“What do you think?” Eren breathed against the pretty pink hole. His wolf wanted him to claim the hunter immediately, mark the man as his, and he intended to make sure Levi knew it as well.

“That’s disgusting! Do you know what comes out of there, brat?” Groaning, he tried to wiggle away, but the shifter’s grip on his hips was too strong.

“We both know how much you love being _clean._ ” To emphasize his point, Eren licked a wet swipe along the fluttering band of muscle. “I’m sure you’ve cleaned here too.” Plunging a finger into the dilated entrance, the brunet relished the small whimper that escaped the dark-haired man. “Besides, it’s not like we can catch human sicknesses.”

“Nnn… fuck…” Levi moaned as the shifter’s mouth descended once more. The versatile organ slipping its way inside him.

“You taste divine.” Eren could feel the persistent flutter against his tongue as he dove in, painting small circles with his tongue. Another sequence of muted moans emerged from the dark-haired man as he probed deeper. He slowly stroked Levi’s neglected member with his other hand, relishing the plaintive whines and greedy movements as the hunter writhed from his ministrations. “I can’t wait to be inside you.”

Another whimper escaped those kiss-swollen lips as he moved. Circling around with his hand, he rubbed the turgid flesh, relishing in the loud cry of pleasure that escaped as he attacked from both the front and back. Once Eren was certain the other man was soft enough, he got back on his knees, grasping his aching shaft and ground it between the globes of Levi’s butt. It was beyond tempting to just thrust inside, but Eren wanted to make sure the hunter was ready.

“Stop dicking around and fuck me already.” Levi scowled at how Eren, who had suddenly stopped. He would never have agreed to bottom if not for the brat’s exquisite green eyes. It too often involved scraping cum out of his ass and was more often than not sucked. But the way the brat had skillfully toyed with him indicated that it would be worth it. He had nearly come apart from Eren’s earlier actions.

“But you look so good like that for me…” Eren doubted the other man knew it, but Levi’s posture was the one in which wolves preferred to take their mates. It made the animal side of him salivate. Before the end of the night, everyone would know that he had staked his claim on the hunter.

“Shut up.”

Eren smirked at the small tremor that as he ran his aching erection against the perfect opening. Throughout their journey, Levi had been harsh and cold, so seeing him like this, needy and whining, was a huge turn on. The hunter’s face was a fierce shade of red from his neck up to the tips of his ears. “Are you embarrassed?”

“Fuck you.”

“As you wish.” The shifter moved back, gripping his hips. A moment later, something penetrated him, slowly pushing passed that ring of muscle. “Nnnhh…” Levi groaned as the heated flesh probed deeper inside. There was a little bit of a stretch – the brat was larger than he expected – but it didn’t hurt much with all the preparation they had done. “Fuck…”

“Hah, Levi…” Eren whispered hotly, leaning over and whispering into the hunter’s ear. “…you feel so good.” The shifter had never experienced anything as amazing as he plunged in again. The hunter’s pale body was flushed from the neck down. Running his hands along the muscled contours, Eren pinched Levi’s perky nipples, eliciting a sexy whimper from the man.

“Uhnnn!” For some reason, everything was way more intense than Levi expected. It might have had something to do with being outdoors, which intensified the sensations. The outside air was cool, chilling his skin, which in turn made him more sensitive to the heat from Eren’s hands, branding and claiming him.

Unlike his previous partners, the brat took his time. Levi hated bottoming as his other partners had only cared for their own pleasure, moving roughly and without any regard to him. Eren was different. The shifter was big, but there had nearly no pain when Eren entered. While topping was exciting and something he would like to try with the shifter, Levi wouldn’t mind bottoming if it was Eren fucking him.

“Ah! Shit!” The dark-haired man cried out as the thrust hit his prostate dead center. “Nhnn…”

Levi’s diminutive size and having the hunter on all fours afforded Eren the perfect view. Having the reserved and in-control hunter gasping for breath and trembling beneath him caused adrenaline to surge through his body. The litany of Levi moaning was music to the shifter’s ears. Heart pumping maddeningly, Eren began to pick up his pace, pulling out and then ramming back in. It didn’t take much for the dark-haired man to come apart, shuddering and convulsing around him, as he did. Thrusting in savagely, pleasure overcame the shifter as he found his release, biting hard on the hunter’s neck as he did.

“Fuck!”

“Ugh, move…” Levi muttered, gasping for breath. He had never known himself for having a biting kink, but the sudden jolt on the back of his neck nearly had him coming again. “You’re fucking heavy.”

“Sorry, gimme a sec.” There was a low groan as Eren rolled them to their sides, pulling out in the process, and wrapping his arms around Levi.

As he lay on top of the forest floor, the cool surface helped him cool his thoughts and restore his energy. The rapid pounding of his heart gradually began to slow down as he recovered. Eren had his turn topping, now it was his.

Before the shifter could protest, Levi flipped them around to the same position they had first been in when they had first met, holding Eren’s arms above his head with one hand and slid his hand against the brat’s bottom with the other. Yellow eyes looked hotly as him, a wolfish grin on those crimson lips. “What now, Levi?” The brunet teased.

“Now?” Levi smirked back, his finger probing against Eren’s puckered ring. The brat was going to learn just how it felt to have his ass be mercilessly toyed with. He was going to make the shifter _scream_. “Now it’s _my_ turn.”


	7. Epilogue

“Ready, pup?”

“Levi, I’m not a dog!” Eren retorted. The hunter was no longer wary of his wolf form and had added ‘pup’ or ‘puppy’ to his repertoire of names to address Eren by. He was well-aware that Levi had no ill-intentions with the name-calling, they were partners and slept together, but there were things Levi did which still frustrated him. Being called a domesticated four-legged mammal that couldn’t hunt for itself was an insult to his pride. Wolves were wild animals, apex predators.

“Fine. Stop dawdling and let’s go, _brat_.”

“When will you stop calling me that, Levi?” Eren pouted at the _younger_ hunter. It amused him (and irritated Levi) to no end when the thirty-three, now thirty-four, year old hunter was treated as a child. His lover tended to behave like a fully grown adult, when he was in fact, still a child in comparison to the number of years a shifter lived. “You’re the _kid_ here.”

“When you stop acting like one.” The former hunter rolled his eyes. He still wasn’t sure whether he would continue hunting upon returning to the city. It was a lucrative job, but a dangerous one. Levi certainly trusted Eren’s combat abilities – the shifter was much better than almost everyone he had met – having a partner out in the field was a risky consideration.

“But I’m older than you.”

“So? You still act as though you’re fifteen.” Levi shot the shifter a speaking glance.

They had spent the last few months getting to know one another. It was a period for Levi to grow used to shifter traditions, and most importantly Eren’s wolf, and for Eren to learn about the customs outside of the outside world. The brunet was still a few seasons shy of the half a century rule for exploring the outside world, but the elders reasoned it would be okay with Levi by his side.

Adjusting to life with the shifters had taken time. Despite Eren’s assurances, many were wary of him, concerned Levi was only there to ferret out their secrets and eradicate them. Part of that was due to him besting their best fighter in the ring, and while many respected and applauded his skill, it only made some distrustful. His life as a hunter certainly did not help soothe any fears; if anything, they were the cause of the many suspicious glances he received. Those judgmental gazes gradually softened over months as he assisted with patrolling, hunting, and eliminating any threats that came close to discovering their whereabouts. Now, he was considered the expert on humans and hunters, often asked to share his knowledge and expertise with modern weaponry, ways to treat bullet and other similar injuries, and life in the city.

As much enjoyable as it was in the woods with his enthusiastic, frisky, and sometimes childish lover, the hunter missed the amenities and conveniences of city life. It was so much easier boiling water on the stove or having sheets instead of pelts for bedding. Levi had been gone for slightly over a year, but he had no doubt his house would still be there. All his neighbors knew what he did for a living and it wouldn’t have been the only time he had left for a long time. His home would need some intense cleaning before being livable, but Levi could live with that.

“So? You act as if you’re fifty!” His lover huffed. “You’d be excited if it was _your_ first time leaving the forest!” After weeks of planning, they were _finally_ planning on leaving Shiganshina. The plan was to head towards Trost and return to Levi’s home first. The rest of the journey would depend on Eren’s reaction to life among humans and how fast he could grow accustomed to it.

One of the brunet’s demands was to go see the ocean. Levi had never been that far east or seen the sunset over the water. It wasn’t because he hadn’t been in the area, but simply due to a lack of interest. The main road from Trost to the seaside city, Maria, was well maintained and kept safe by the Military Police, meaning that most hunting jobs were west of his home city. It was a fairly easy one to two months of travel on horseback to reach Maria though. The trip would probably take a season to complete depending on how fast they traveled. But first he needed to see how the brat would react to a small village, let alone city, before heading all the way to Maria.

Levi wasn’t particularly concerned about money for travelling. He had saved a tidy fortune from all his high-risk hunting jobs. Traveling across the lands would be pleasant in comparison. And if need be, he could always go hunting with Eren. The shifter had proven to be a highly skilled tracker, and his combat skills weren’t too shabby either.

“Tch, c’mon let’s go.” Levi slung the travel bag over his shoulders, ready to leave. For someone as impatient to venture outside as Eren had been, the brat was taking his shitty time.

Walking on foot until they reached the nearest decently-sized village would take a week. Levi hoped they had horses, since it would take forever to walk back to the city. They could always stop closer to the woods, but the people were suspicious enough already, that emerging from the woods would only arouse suspicion and raise questions better left unanswered.

Lately, the hunter had been contemplating what Eren’s reaction to the hustle and bustle of city life would be. There were many more sights and sounds to experience, which could be overwhelming. Levi doubted Eren would shy away from the experience – the shifter was too stubborn to back down – but there was no telling what he would do once displaced from his natural environment. He had grown up in the environment, but Eren had not. Not only were customs and traditions different, but there was the whole economy of buying and selling goods and services that didn’t exist with the shifters. He had explained it to Eren, but the notion had confused the brunet to no end. Thankfully, they had time to get Eren used to the market and other things before arriving in the city.

But that wasn’t the only problem. According to the elders, shifting was an innate ability and one that could only be suppressed for so long. It was in their blood, or more precisely Eren’s, to change forms, and having to refrain from doing that for weeks on end would be taxing on the brunet. In the forest, Eren could shift and explore the wilderness as a wolf, but wolves would be hunted in the city. The brunet might be able to pass as a large hunting dog, but Levi didn’t want to assume that would be the case.

Hell, he wasn’t sure how his return would be taken either. While Nile Dok and his cronies were taken care of – Levi and some of the shifters had lured them out and eliminated the threat soon after he arrived – he was uncertain of his welcome after being gone for so long. Showing up with Eren, even if they wouldn’t know the brunet was a shifter, would only rouse suspicion and raise questions. No one knew of his half-shifter heritage and Levi planned to keep it that way. Those who weren’t envious were leery of his skills. And if they knew of his identity of being half-shifter, being ostracized would be the last of his concerns. Hell, they’d probably want to hunt him down themselves.

“Wait!” Eren yelled out.

“What is it now?” He scowled. The goodbyes were already said and they had already spent the entire night yesterday commemorating their departure. The shifters had held a large feast, filled with roasted boar, dancing, and music. While festivities like that weren’t uncommon amongst humans, it was more primitive and less restrained.

“It’s just that I won’t be back for a long time, so I really want to remember this place before I leave.” Eren surveyed the premises. It wasn’t much. A few trinkets, a bed, and a few pieces of furniture decorated his home. Even though most of his days were spent outside, it was still home for him. And there was no telling how long it would be until he returned.

As sad as it was to bid goodbye to his home, he was excited at the prospect of venturing into the unknown and seeing the world outside. Eren couldn’t wait. Levi had promised him that they would be going to the ocean, and the thought of seeing an expanse of endless water was inconceivable to him. And with the dark-haired hunter by his side, he really wasn’t worried about getting lost or any of the other horror stories horse-faced Jean had tried to scare him with.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

“’bout time.”

Reigning in his urge to stick his tongue out at the hunter, Eren took one last backwards glance before stepping outside. It was a new day, and he couldn’t be more excited for what was to come.

And so the two of them went on their merry travels happily ever after.


End file.
